force back

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force back

1. To cause someone or something to move away from someone or something else. A noun or pronoun can be used between "force" and "back." I jumped in front of the kids to force them back from the street.

2. To cause someone or something to return to something. A noun or pronoun can be used between "force" and "back." The bell signaling the end of recess forced us back to class.

3. To contain one's emotions. A noun or pronoun can be used between "force" and "back." I found myself forcing back tears during the play because the acting was just so good.

force back

1. To make someone or something retreat or return: A terrible storm forced the soldiers back to the camp. Hard up for money, the strikers were forced back to work.

2. To prevent the expression of one's own emotions: She forced back her laughter as she listened to the debate. He forced his anger back when he read the editorial.

See also: back, force

See also:

References in periodicals archive ?

The ISIL terrorists suffered a heavy death toll under the heavy attacks of the Syrian artillery and warplanes and pulled the remaining pockets of their forces back from the battlefield.

Deir Ezzur: Syrian Air Force Assists Army Soldiers to Drive ISIL Out of Battlefield

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Monday there would be no cease-fire before the Hezbollah militant group withdrew its forces back about 20 kilometers from the border with Israel, Reuters news service quoted a Lebanese political source as saying.

Rice says no cease-fire before Hezbollah pulls back forces: report

They highlighted the urgent need to achieve a peaceful solution as quickly as possible and bring our forces back home.

MAIL BOX: Reid's peace plan is as clear as mud

The armed forces back a tentative government move to submit a fresh motion to the parliament allowing US troops to open a "northern front" against Iraq, with Chief of the General Staff Hilmi Ozkok saying: "The Turkish armed forces' view is the same as the government's and is reflected in the motion our government sent to parliament.

TURKEY - March 5 - Military Backs US Troops Move

On 5 April the Chinese and North Koreans launched their fifth offensive aimed at pushing the United Nations (UN) forces back from the 38th parallel.

THE DAMBUSTERS AT HWACHON

Syrian Army commanders pulled their forces back from Handarat Camp on Sunday morning to evade more casualties.

Syria: Gov't Forces Continue to Beat Terrorists Back From More Positions in Northern Aleppo

Syrian Army commanders pulled their forces back from Handarat Palestinian Refugees Camp in Northern countryside of Aleppo city on Sunday morning to evade more casualties.

Syria: Army Wins Back Handarat Camp in Aleppo

"The ISIL left behind scores of the dead and wounded members and pulled the remaining pockets of its forces back from the two strategic mountains of Antar and Zalfeh in the Northwestern side of Palmyra and vast farms in the Eastern side of the ancient city under the heavy offensives of the Syrian army and the popular forces," the sources said.

Battle Intensifies between Syrian Soldiers, ISIL Terrorists North of Palmyra

The ISIL pulled its forces back from at least three hilltops near Jabal (mountain) al-Mazar under the heavy attacks of the Syrian army and the National Defense Forces.

Syria: ISIL Retreats from more Heights, Lands East of Homs Province

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian Army troops repelled ISIL's heavy attack on an oil-rich region in the Eastern part of Homs province and forced the terrorist group to pull forces back from the battlefield.

ISIL's Heavy Offensive in Homs Province Repulsed

The ISIL militants sustained more defeats near the ancient Assyrian town of Quaryatayn and pulled forces back from four key heights in the region.

Syrian Army Repels ISIL's Heavy Offensive on Strategic Heights in Homs

A spokesperson of the Arab Coalition Forces - press photo CAIRO - 19 August 2018: Army forces backed by Arab Coalition forces liberated today the headquarters of the local authority and the medical center from Houthi coup militia in the center of Duraihemi district of Hudeidah province in Yemen.

Army forces backed by Arab Coalition Forces liberated the mountains of al-Fadahatain

On the Syrian border, the radical group is the target of ongoing rival campaigns by Syrian government forces backed by Russia, and US-supported local fighters.

Forces brace up for offensive on militants' last stronghold

The Iraqi forces backed by Iranian-trained paramilitary groups captured the Kurdish held oil region Kirkuk on Monday after the Kurdish referendum and transfer the balance of power in the country.

Iraqi forces drive Kurdish fighters out of Mosul

The government forces, according to police, have killed up to 200 Taliban fighters after the security forces backed by aircraft targeted Taliban positions in Nawa district of the southern Helmand province over the past one week.